Blog: If directly elected mayors are the answer, what is the question?

6th September 2024

Esther Roberton spoke recently as part of our Forgotten Wisdom? event and was asked a question about directly elected mayors. In this blog she expands on her response. Find out more about Esther at the end of this blog.

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In recent times momentum has been building behind the idea of elected mayors in Scotland. Besides the distraction about whether they would be mayors or provosts lies a bigger and more significant question: what is the problem elected mayors are expected to solve?

The common denominator behind many of the arguments in favour seems to be that Andy Burnham has done a great job in Manchester. There is certainly plenty of press coverage of his significant achievements around transport and capital projects. What we don’t see is much about how the people of the area feel or how engaged they are in the decisions being made. Nor do we hear much about other mayors in England. Turnout in mayoral elections is notoriously low and in some areas the decision to have a mayor has been reversed. Likewise, this approach does not extend to much of the country and risks a very uneven form of devolution. There are also significant risks in centralising power in the hands of one individual.

So why do some people think mayors would be a good idea in Scotland? We are certainly one of the most centralised countries in Europe and the commitment of the Constitutional Convention to devolve power out of Edinburgh has not been honoured. In fact, subsequent governments have drawn ever more powers to the centre. Trust and confidence in politicians and democracy is low and most people feel powerless and disengaged from the decisions that affect their lives.

Donald Anderson and Stephen Purcell, former leaders of Edinburgh and Glasgow City Councils, wrote recently about their effective cooperation between our two biggest cities: they worked in partnership rather than competition for the greater good of both cities and the wider country.

It seems a leap, however, to suggest that regional mayors, structures and powers are needed to continue their efforts, and that those two mayors would cover 14 local council areas. I’m not convinced the people of Fife or other areas would welcome that. The approach would also continue the focus on the central belt and leave our rural areas even more disadvantaged.

Over the years, both the Accounts Commission and the Auditor General have called for bolder leadership from council leaders. As councils are stripped of power, the role of councillor and especially council leader becomes less attractive. More local councils with more autonomy and more powers – especially to raise more of their income locally – might attract bolder leaders.

While the idea of directly elected mayors appeals as a simple solution to the continuing democratic deficit, it seems unlikely they would address the real challenges facing our democracy.

I would urge policy makers to consider the evidence and engage with the public before jumping on the mayoral bandwagon: I believe the answer is to address the unfinished business of the democratic renewal we were promised by the Convention and build truly local democratically elected councils.

About the author

Esther Roberton was Co-ordinator of the Scottish Constitutional Convention, whose 1995 publication ‘Scotland’s Parliament, Scotland’s Right’ provided the blueprint for devolution. Esther is currently a non-executive director of Scotland’s Futures Forum. She has spent a lifetime in public service, most recently as Chair of NHS Lothian and Fife Cultural Trust. Before that she was Chair of NHS24 and a Non-Executive Director of the Scottish Government. In 2017 she was asked to chair the Independent Review of Legal Services Regulation for the Scottish Government and was a Press Complaints Commissioner from 2007 to 2014.